I'm using KABF in my home oven, baking thinner crust pizzas at 550. Does anyone have any tips on how to make the crust a bit more tender? The recipe I've been using has a 12 hr poolish and a 18 hour bulk ferment in the fridge followed by 4-6 on the counter before balling. The dough is 70% hydration.

KABF happens to be what I have but I'd use another bread flourI'd like to stay away from adding oilI've seen baguette recipes where a blend w AP is usedThe flour is malted-would adding any more be helpful?

I know I may be asking too much given my oven temps. I bet if I baked these in the 2stone at 650 it would be a different story. Thanks for any input.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "tender." Do you mean you want it less crispy? You say that you don't want to add oil, so aside from trying a different flour, my only suggestion would be reduce the fermentation time (maybe omit the poolish?). But that might affect the flavor too much.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "tender." Do you mean you want it less crispy? You say that you don't want to add oil, so aside from trying a different flour, my only suggestion would be reduce the fermentation time (maybe omit the poolish?). But that might affect the flavor too much.

As others have noted, to get a more tender, less chewy crust, the most frequently recommended practice is to use a lower protein flour. It doesn't have to be all-purpose flour but the flour should have a lower protein content than bread flour in your case. You can use the Mixed Mass Percentage Calculator to test out different flour blends to get a protein content somewhere between bread flour and all-purpose flour.

Sugar is also often used to tenderize a crust, along with oil (which you have ruled out for now). Sugar is a hygroscopic substance and helps retain moisture in the dough during baking. However, you would have to use a fair amount of sugar to have the desired crust softening effect. Honey is even more hygroscopic than sugar and will also add a bit more moisture to the dough (since honey is about 17 percent water). You already have a high hydration value so you shouldn't need to increase the current value. Adding a bit more yeast as part of the final mix might give you a greater rise in the finished crust and create more of a sensation of softness and tenderness.

I tried to access the Mixed Mass Percentage Calculator at http://foodsim.unclesalmon.com/ to show you it, but my computer wonít let me access it. I donít know if anyone else is having problems accessing Novemberís tool or not.